Blessing of a Curse
by neyma
Summary: Karin Kurosaki moves in together with his boyfriend even with the trouble in their relationship. However, their house is being haunted by a spirit driven to break up couples residing under the roof. Karin, dejected by her boyfriend's actions, decides to make a bargain with the spirit.


**Before anything, I need to apologize to those who have been reading and hopefully waiting W&W's 4th chapter. I've spent the majority of my week writing this and had no time to spend on the multichapter story. I hope this story will make up for the delay of the Wings and Wishes.**

**Now, there are a few things I'm disappointed with this. Even then, I hope you guys will enjoy reading the results. Depending on reader's wishes, I might work on a second part or a sequel for this, but for now I felt I had to cut it where I did because the story has been eating on my mind all week, and I haven't been able to do anything else.**

**Without any further babbling, enjoy the story.**

* * *

Today Karin and Kūgo, her boyfriend of almost four years, were moving in together in the old, small two-store building at the edges of Karakura. Against expected reactions, Karin was _not _happy about this.

She had caught her boyfriend with another woman downtown yesterday, and while Karin isn't one to jump up to conclusions, having one's tongue shoved down some woman's throat did wonders explaining the situation to the raven haired woman. Grudgingly, after having confronted him and realizing he was drunk enough to collapse any minute, she had let it slide. For now.

Still, it wasn't a good start to their lives together under the same roof. And definitely not the way Karin had imagined it.

Exhaling loudly she picked the last box from the van and headed to the house. Stepping inside the house, then up the stairs and nudging the door open to their... Well, for now _her _room. She had made Kūgo promise he'd stay in the guest room as a reflection on what he had done. It had sent him off in a piss, but Karin was resolute. Drunk or not, he had cheated on her.

Setting the last box in the corner with the others she left the room and skipped downstairs. Her brother Ichigo came in having locked the van after her. Karin gave a grin to her older brother and they headed to the kitchen to find Yuzu, Karin's fraternal twin sister. She was already busy cooking for them, like the little housewife she had always been.

"Smells good Yuzu! What we got?" At her sister's voice, the blonde twin turned around and smiled at her siblings.

"I'm just whipping up some curry. I'll be done in ten minutes, why don't you go through the boxes for the plates and utensils? You should know where everything is, correct?"

Ichigo snorted at that. "Considering it's Karin, I'm not at all surprised if she has no clue what's packed where."

The said woman glared at the carrot top. "Shut up, big brother. Since your sister is such a damsel in distress, why don't you help her and find them instead!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, plopping down on one of the chairs. "Your house, you do it. You're _independant _now, aren't you", he stressed the word and snickered. "Independant my ass."

"Oi! Watch it or you'll get no dinner, stupid carrot head!"

The man just waved her off, and resigning to her faith she turned to the boxes, reading the writings on each cardbox. _'That's bowls and, ahha, plates! That's, err, why are Kūgo__'s sport equipment here? Alright, that's the glasses, and right below them ought to be... Bingo! Utensils.'_

Popping the boxes open she withdrew the necessary items and placed 3 sets on the dining table, before she continued stashing the rest of them in the cupboards. Humming slightly, she looked at the now filled shelves, happy with herself. Too bad her brother had to burst the bubble.

"Why isn't Kūgo here? It is his house now aswell, and my friend or not, he ought to be here helping us. Helping you!"

Karin waved at that, sitting on one of the free stools and shrugging nonchalantly. "He was in a mood, so it's better this way. Don't want him around breaking anything, do I?"

Yuzu frowned at this while taking the plates from the table and filling them with the mouthwatering curry she had made. "Is it normal for him to have such moods? I don't like the sound of this."

It was Ichigo who answered. "He's always been like that. Get under his skin and he's a spitting fire spirit. He'll calm down soon enough and act like nothing happened. Although I do admit it seems to happen more often than it used to."

Karin grunted at that, waiting for her sister to sit down before clapping her hands together in a short prayer and attacking the food. "Yummy!"

Yuzu still seemed distraught by her sister's boyfriend though, and Karin sighed. "Look, I've known him for five years, and Ichigo has known him for, what, almost ten years now? Stop worrying, he'll come around." Nodding, the blonde started eating aswell and watched her siblings interact over the table.

An hour later Yuzu and Ichigo had left, and Karin had finished washing the dishes. She walked aimlessly around the house, mind occupied with the thoughts of her boyfriend. In all honesty, she wasn't sure if moving together had been the right thing to do. For the last couple of months, their relationship had seemed a bit strained to her. She liked the guy alright, but she'd come to see sides of him she hadn't expected, and over the time she had come to dislike these traits. He had become more agressive, often hitting things and sometimes even throwing them around. Karin knew he was having trouble at work, but it still didn't explain everything.

She felt like the man he had known and had loved was slowly disappearing. "Just where are you anyway, Kūgo... Mood or not, you should have come home already."

_'He's probably cheating with some cheap whore somewhere. You know, the E cup beauty that have all men going astray.'_

"Oh, that was what he did the other day, wasn't it."

_'WHAT? Seriously? I mean, that's exactly what I meant! So wouldn't it be better to cut things off now rather than wait for the ultimate hit?'_

Karin blinked, confused. Was she thinking aloud or what? Shaking her head, she sighed again and decided it was time for the ultimate nap after a rough day.

_'Har har har, very funny pun. Not.'_

She swore aloud, banging her head. "Come on, you're going crazy. Bedtime." Grumbling to herself she made her way upstairs and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. A moment later she was dead asleep like anyone after a very long, tiring day.

_'Tch!'_

The following morning found Karin to be awake before the sun had even risen. She stretched lazily and groaned, feeling her joints popping. Sitting up she took in her surroundings with a glazed look, trying to figure out why the dark room seemed so unfamiliar. Seeing the shapes of the boxes waiting for her in the corner, she blinked and nodded to herself. "Right", she mumbled. Standing up she fumbled over to her bag that had the necessities in it and picked through it, finally withdrawing a blue towel. One of the smaller pockets held a bottle of shampoo and shower gel, and she got those before starting her way along the dark corridor, trying to remember where the bathroom was.

After one wrong door, she found the bathroom and rushed in, discarding her clothes in a heap on the floor before stepping behind the shower curtain. Feeling the warm droplets fall on her she groaned in delight, facing upwards so that her face was pelleted with the water. "I feel like I'm in heaven", she mumbled aloud while massaging her scalp and spreading the water to the root of the hair.

_'Too bad the heaven is missing the other half. He never came back home last night, did he? He's probably staying the night with that E up he's so familiar with.'_

Karin huffed, annoyed. Couldn't she even enjoy her shower without thoughts of him surfacing? "Oh, shut up already... I'm having enough trouble with him as it is."

_'... Then why did you move in with him in the first place?'_

The raven hair closed her eyes willed those thoughts away, only to snap them open when the thoughts surfaced with an angry tone.

_Hey, that's not very nice you know! Damn, you nearly knocked me out!'_

"What is this?! Hey, who's there? These aren't my own goddamn thoughts at all, are they?" She turned off the shower and ripped the shower curtain open to have a good look around her. Karin stood alone in the bathroom, the light above her flickering slightly. Frowning suspiciously she yanked the towel around her, trying to hear something, anything to indicate she wasn't going mad. "C'mon, I know I'm not alone here, so out with it!"

The woman was met with silence and swearing aloud she scooped up her clothes and made her way back to the master bedroom, turning on the lights. Her phone lay on the table, and she picked it up dialing a number. Glancing out of the window, Karin changed her mind and put the phone back, massaging her temples. The call would have to wait till later, no one would appreciate being woken up in the early hours.

Instead Karin picked up a fresh change of clothes from her bag and wrapped the towel around her wet hair, realizing she hadn't had the chance to wash it. Shrugging the thought off she left the room in favor of some well deserved breakfast, or rather the cup of strong coffee she was yearning for.

The drink was brewing when the front door clicked open, and disheveled Kūgo stepped in. Karin leaned against the kitchen counter when he sauntered in, giving a quick once over at his form. He looked like he hadn't slept all last night, making the familiar worry worm it's way in her chest. "Morning Kūgo. You alright?" she asked softly, and the man turned his head towards her. Sneering he disappeared from the kitchen door and a moment later Karin could hear him stomping up the stairs.

Dejected, she stared at the abandoned doorway, feeling her heart ache a little more every passing second. Sighing she closed her eyes and hang her head. She didn't have the heart to end this relationship, but the hurt that was swelling in her chest told her what she ought to do.

_'This is what I'd call trouble in the paradise.'_

Opening her eyes the woman turned to look out of the window. "What do you want?"

_'Well, it's always been a habit of mine to break up the people to live in this house, but looks like I don't need to do anything but watch the show this time.'_

The sun was finally starting to show up, lighting up the streets of the town. "No... Please continue your efforts. I can't do this on my own."

_'... Well, this is a first. A lot of firsts, actually. You're the first person to realise what was going on, and this is definitely the first time that someone asked me to end their relationship. Fine, I'll do it. What will I get in return?'_

Karin shrugged. "What do you want?"

_'... I'll think about it. So tell me, why aren't you a least bit surprised you're talking with a spirit?'_

Shrugging, the woman turned around and swalloed trying to get rid of the choking feeling, answered the room: "I'm sort of used to it. Runs in the blood you could say. Both my father and bother can communicate with ghosts. So, what's your name?"

_'I am Toshiro Hitsugaya.'_

"I don't know if it's a pleasure to meet you, Toshiro, but glad to be working with you. If you didn't know it yet, I'm Karin Kurosaki"

_'Hnn. Likewise, I suppose.'_

With that, the two lapsed into silence. A small clicking sound from the coffee machine indicated that the morning beverage was ready, and happy for the distraction Karin poured the coffee into a a mug. Inhaling the scent Karin took a small sip, almost purring at the feeling of the liquid spreading in her mouth and warming her up as she swallowed.

_'You drink your coffee black?'_ The voice sounded almost disgusted, making Karin snort into her mug.

"Yeah, what about it? It's not like I'm forcing you to drink it, is it?"

_'Coffee, with or without milk, tastes horrible. I cannot imagine the reason why people want to drink it. I'm perfectly fine with a good cup of tea.'_

"Pfft, tea is for pussies!"

_'Whatever'_, grounded out the annoyed reply, making Karin giggle, the painful feeling slowly dispersing from her chest. Smiling faintly, she drank her coffee still leaning against the counter and staring in the space.

"I'm out for a walk", she announced once she had emptied the mug, standing straight and stretching her arms before slipping out of the house. "Laters", she sang before closing the door.

_'Till later'_, she heard a faint reply as the door clicked shut and she stepped out into the crips morning air. Grinning she rolled her knees a couple rounds and set off in a brisk pace. She had her surroundings to explore.

Karin had lived in Karakura all her life, but she wasn't familiar with all the neighborhoods, this one included. It had been Kūgo who had suggested moving here, and Karin had had nothing against this. After all, it was a safe distance from her father's constant antics, and even he wouldn't show up every morning to her house to give her his fatherly love. Smiling at the thought she looked at the houses around her, the now rising sun giving them a beautiful glow. All of them were two story buildings, obviously housing families in them. However, after a couple of blocks she came across a traditional building, drastically different from the houses around it.

Surrounded by low stone wall, the yard was spacious and was mostly covered in grass, excluding the wide pathway to the front door. Spying the sign on the side of the wall, she realized it was a shop, and apparently open 24/7. Quirking an eyebrow, she started walking towards the front door and opened it slowly, peering inside. "Hello?"

Hearing faint rustling from inside, Karin stepped in and took a good look around her. It seemed like a general store, sporting just about anything from food groceries to toys and sport equipment and games. On the other side of the counter at the far back of the shop, a green top of a hat moved around as the owned was hunched behind it, apparently kneeling on the ground mumbling something incoherent.

Karin cleared her throat, and the figure behind the counter sprang up. "Well hello there! Oh, you're a new one. How do you do?" He was a tall, blonde man wearing a green cloak and the hat she had seen over the counter.

Scratching the side of her head, she looked around. "Yeah, I'm new here. I was just taking a walk and noticed this store and got curious and... Yeah."

The man nodded, sprawling open a fan in front of his mouth, hiding his face with it. "Feel free to look around. I'm Kisuke Urahara by the way, a pleasure to meet you." Indicating around the store, he seemed proud of it as he explained. "We have anything you might want and more! Best shop in the area, if not the whole town." Fanning himself now he looked at the woman curiously. "If you're out on a walk, you must live somewhere nearby?"

Karin wandered around the shop, looking at the different goods. "Karin Kurosaki. Yeah, I moved in to the old building at the end of the street."

Kisuke looked surprised. "Oh, that's a bad one, that. It's cursed, you know. Every couple that moves to the house end breaking up. I hope you live by yourself."

Shaking her head she answered: "Nah, I live with my boyfriend. For now at least. And I'm aware of the curse, I talked... Uh, nevermind."

The man quirked an eyebrow at that, hiding his face again. "You talked with somebody about it already? And you're not worried at all?"

"Well, yeah, I did talk with somebody about it, sort of. And no, I'm not really worried about it. Our relationship hasn't been... going very well lately in the first place."

The man made a humming sound, watching the woman studying the store. He was mildly surprised with how she acted about all of this. Closing the fan, he tapped it against his chin. "So, did you hear how the curse came about?"

Shaking her head, indicating she had heard nothing about it, Karin turned to look at the man behind the counter. He had a smirk on his face, although Karin had no clue what was amusing him so.

"Care for some tea? Oh, you must be a coffee addict by the look on your face. I'll tell you the story, it's rather interesting if I may say so." A bit wary, Karin nodded and followed the man inside the building. "Ururu, make me and my guest some tea and coffee, will you? Thank you, sweet cheeks!" He led the way in a large room with a table in the center and plopped down onto a pillow. Following his example, Karin took seat aswell and looked at the man.

He didn't start until a young girl brought in a tray with steaming cup of coffee and what Karin guessed was green tea. Such a green man, she mused while sipping his coffee.

"Years back there lived a young man, or more like a boy, and his lazy aunt. The boy was nothing short of a genius, having finished his high school early and getting accepted into Tokyo university for the psychology department at the age of sixteen.

"The boy had had a relationship with his childhood friend for three years. He was very much in love with her, and would have done anything for the girl. Unfortunately for him, she never had such strong feelings to return, and instead she fell in love with one of his teachers in the university.

"Turns out the teacher taught paranormal studies, and he was well versed in them himself, because when the young man confronted the teacher to fight for his girlfriend, the man turned him away with something extra. In a matter of days, the man succumbed to coma and hasn't woken since. His aunt, distraught, moved out of the house to live closer to the hospital where he's still being held.

"Since then, there have been several couples, occupying the house since she moved out, but none of them have withstood the curse haunting that house."

Karin sat in silence, having long finished her coffee. "What happened to the girlfriend?" she wondered.

Kisuke tapped his fan on his chin and looked up. "If I remember right, she got pregnant and the teacher left her hanging. I haven't got a clue where she could be now."

"So who was this boy you talk of?" She thought she might know the answer but wanted to confirm it.

"Ah, he was Toshiro Hitsugaya, our very own resident shorty. Well, I think he's grown up a bit while in coma though. It has been almost seven years now, so he would be 25 years now." The man grinned at the thought but sobered up when Karin facepalmed.

"I knew it was him..."

"Oh, you know of him, then?" Kisuke asked curiously.

"Sort of. I talked with him this morning."

The mugs on the table clatted when he banged his hands flat on the table. "You _what_?!

Karin stared at him, speaking slowly. "I talked with him this morning. Since last evening, I had been hearing this voice I thought were my own thoughts, but this morning I realised that was not the case. He is the one haunting that house, probably bitter because of what happened to him and thus making couples break up. Actually, he promised to help me out with mine", she added thoughtfully.

Kisuke didn't know what to make of this. He blinked, gathering his thoughts. This girl that had appeared out of nowhere was apparently able to communicate with the spirit bound to the house. And she had asked his help...

"Wait, you _want _him to help to break up with your boyfriend?"

The woman squirmed uncomfortable before hanging her head. "I don't know. I'm not happy with how things are between us, he's like a completely different man... But I'm not strong enough to do it by myself." Looking ashamed of having admitted her weakness, she looked to the side and pouted. As an afterthought, she narrowed her eyes at him asking: "Out of all of that, was that the most important thing that caught your attention?"

Kisuke waved his hand, not really caring about her relationship problems. "Whatever. What matters here is that someone is actually capable of communicating with him. Do you know if it's possible for others?"

Karin shook her head. "Ain't got a clue, I only moved in yesterday. He didn't do anything when my sister and brother were there, and Kūgo wasn't home last night. I was alone."

Frowning in thought, the man stared at the table between them. "I didn't say this before, but Rangiku - that's Toshiro's aunt - is actually a close friend of mine and has been looking for a way to wake up the little genius. This is big news, Karin. I think, with this we actually have a chance to figure out how to do this."

Her jaw dropped at this. "What, you mean wake him up from his coma? That would be great, wouldn't it!"

Kisuke nodded before standing up. "I'm going to go inform Rangiku of this. I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you to leave for now. Can I have your contact information? It would seem rather suspicious if we showed up at your door unannounced, wouldn't it."

This made Karin grin, but she complied and wrote down her phone number on a scrap of paper the man handed him. "Contact me whenever. In the meantime, I'm going to go chat to your shorty." This made the man chuckle and mutter:

"Don't let him hear you call him that."

Karin was back home in fifteen minutes, her black hair in disarray from the sprint back home. "Toshiro!" she called out when the front door shut behind her.

_'I'm here. Welcome home'_, came the answer and Karin grinned.

"You'll never guess what happened! Well, what I heard!"

The voice was amused with her enthusiasm. _'Oh? So what did you hear?'_

"I went for a walk and ended up in this general store, and met a guy called Kisuke something in there."

_'Kisuke Urahara?' _Now the voice was definitely surprised.

Karin nodded and made her way to the door leading to the back yard. "Can you step out of the house? I don't want to talk inside unless necessary."

_'I can enter the porch at the back, but not further', _Toshiro grunted in her mind. The woman nodded and stepped outdoors once again.

"So, I heard that your university teacher cursed you?"

_'I suppose that's correct. I don't remember much about it, I just know I woke up in this house and Rangiku could no longer see me.'_

"Why didn't you talk to her like you do to me then?" This was something Karin didn't understand.

_'By the time I figured out how to do this, she was long gone. It actually takes some effort to be able to reach people.'_

This made the woman nod thoughtfully, and she sat down on the stairs of the porch. "Fair enough. But I guess you could contact her now if she came here, yeah?" Another grunt confirmed her thought, and she hummed grinning. "Well, that's good because they're probably coming here soon. Kisuke contacted Rangiku when I left, so it's only a matter of time."

_'... You must be kidding me?'_ He sounded astonished, and Karin wasn't sure if he was happy or not. Toshiro seemed to pick up on that, because he rushed on: _'I'm grateful, this ghost thing is starting to get on my nerves. I was just surprised with this. I mean, all of a sudden it... seems like I might get the chance to get back to my body.'_

Karin nodded and smiled, looking up at the now sunny sky. "Yeah, how neat is that? So, what are we supposed to do to get you back?"

_'Why are you asking me?'_

That made Karin pause and she facepalmed. "Don't tell me even you don't know how to reverse this?"

_'I haven't got the slightest idea. Can't you contact an expert or something?'_

"Well, I'd imagine they would have already considering they guessed it was a curse." They pondered this for a moment. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt, I mean now we can actually discuss this with you aswell. That ought to help the expert", she continued after a while.

_'Point taken. Your boyfriend is sleeping by the way. I went through his things while he was sleeping. His, err...'_

The all too familiar ache started pounding again. "He what? What did you find?"

After a moment of hesitation Toshiro continued. _'I went through his phone, Karin. I think this has been going on for longer than you even thought. Some of the texts didn't leave a lot of room for random guessing. Not only that, but I found... stuff in his bag.'_

This had Karin's head reeling until she understood what he meant. "You mean he's using drugs? Not only cheating but that!" she hissed, clenching her hands into tight fists.

_'I think that's the case. Have you noticed changes in his behavior lately?'_

Nodding, she held her legs against herself curling up into a ball. "Yeah. I have."

_'I'm sorry, Karin.'_

Shaking her head, still curled up she mumbled telling him not to worry about it. Taking in a shaky breath, she blinked fighting back the tears burning in her eyes and tried to breathe normally. After a while she realized this was a futile war and sweared. "I need to call my bro and tell him. You, uh, I guess you can touch things aswell? Could you get my phone for me? I don't think I want to go upstairs anytime soon." She was met with silence as she sat there. A minute later her phone appeared next to her, and fumbling for it for a moment she shivered at the cold air her hand hit. "Was that you?"

_'Yeah, sorry about that. Go on, call your brother.'_

Rubbing at her eyes, Karin dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear. After a few seconds of waiting, the call was anwered and Ichigo's voice traveled through the phone. "Wassup, baby sister? Afraid of living by yourself already?"

Karin sniffled and exhaled noisily before clearing her throat. "Ichigo, can you come over? Don't take Yuzu though, there's trouble here. I need your help."

"Why, what's wrong?" he asked worried, and Karin could hear shuffling on the background, implying he had started to rush shoes on and was already on his way.

"I'll tell you when you get here, okay? I'll be waiting at the backyard."

"Alright, I'll be there in fifteen minutes, I'll take the car." Then she could only hear the dial sound as the call disconnected. Lowering her arm she finally lifted her face, looking around.

_'He coming?'_

"Yeah, he's on his way now. I'll wait-", she stopped abruptly as the phone in her hand came to life and the soft ringtone hit the air. An unknown number flashed on the screen, and after a moment of hesitation she made another attempt at getting rid of the lump in her throat before answering.

"Hey Karin, this is Kisuke. I managed to reach Rangiku, and she promised to leave work early today. Will you be home early this afternoon?"

Karin nodded and then realized the man couldn't see her. "Yeah, I'll be here. Got some... trouble but it should be over by then. Let me know when you're coming over, 'kay?"

"Roger that."

Smiling at the answer she sniffed ending the call and blinking her eyes, getting rid of the last bits of moisture there. "This is going to be one hell of a day, Toshiro."

_'So it seems. That was Kisuke, then?'_

"Yeah, they're probably coming over early this afternoon. Hopefully we've cleared this mess by then", she mumbled and discarded her phone on the floor. On a second thought, she picked it up again and saved Kisuke's number. "So", she started while typing, trying to distract herself from the upcoming confrontation, "you're also able to materialize your touch?"

_'Not exactly that, rather it's mental force. It has come handy now and then'_, Toshiro answered.

That made Karin snort. "I don't doubt that. I only pity the poor souls you were harassing."

_'You make me sound like a pervert'_, he protested immediately.

"Technically, you are one. You followed me into shower this morning!"

_'I did no such thing! I... The curtain was in place, wasn't it!'_ She could have sworn the owner of the voice was blushing like mad, so fretted he was about this.

"Yeah, except the curtain wasn't exactly solid color, now was it. You could definitely see something through it!"

_'Hey, I wasn't looking okay! I'm not so sick as to peep on showering people!'_

"Surely you're not saying I'm not an attractive woman", she drawled with a smirk on her face, the previous pain hanging at the back of her mind due to the chance to tease her new friend.

_'Shut up, don't think I don't know what you're trying to do'_, he huffed briskly making Karin laugh softly.

"Oh, it's so funny to tease you", she muttered after she calmed down.

_'Glad to be of some amusement to you'_, the voice answered sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. That did cheer me up though."

_'That's good'_, came the soft reply.

Ten minutes later Karin heard the car stop on the other side of the house and she straightened her shoulders, waiting for her brother to come around to corner. True to that, not ten seconds later he appeared from around the corner, slightly out of breath, his eyes showing how worried he was as he saw her.

"I'm here Karin", he nodded to her and sat down next to her. "So, what's up?" Ichigo could see the redness of her eyes, indicating she had been very close to crying. That had his blood boiling.

His sister opened her mouth, then closed it wondering how to word everything. Finally she decided that bluntness was the easiest way to go. "I... found out that Kūgo is cheating on me."

She couldn't continue before Ichigo blew up. "What!" he barked springing up and ready to launch inside to find the pathetic excuse of a friend he thought he had been. He was stopped by the hand clenching his wrist, and sat back down under his sister's commanding glare.

"Yeah, and apparently it has been going on for a while, if the text messages are of any indication. On top of that... it seems he has..." Karin's voice trailed out and she bit her lip.

_'He's a drug addict'_, a cold voice supported out of nowhere, making Ichigo jump and look around.

"Karin?" he asked confused.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, the woman replied: "Meet the spirit haunting this house."

_'Hey'_, Toshiro quipped amusement dripping from his words.

"How the hell did you manage to land a house that's being haunted?" Ichigo only asked, exasperated at the thought.

_'I see what you mean about your family being used to it. Although I'm not exactly a ghost, and rather than haunting this house, I'm seemingly bound to it by a curse. It doesn't matter right now, what's more important is the guy upstairs.'_

Ichigo nodded. He was bristled that one of his best friends would actually dare to cheat on his sister, and turn to drugs on top of that. Knowing the overprotective brother he was, it was the former that posed the biggest problem here. "You want him out of the house?" he asked while cracking his knuckles.

Karin thought about it for a while. "Yeah, I do. I want all his belongings out, and his key back so that he can't get back in." Fighting the sudden quiver of her voice, she added: "Huh, I guess dad knew what he was doing when he made sure the house contract was signed under my name. Kūgo didn't pay a cent for this place after all."

_'So practically you're the owner of this house then?'_ Toshiro asked.

"Yep, she is. My cute little sister", Ichigo answered ruffling the raven hair tenderly. Karin scowled at her brother in objection but didn't say anything. He stood up and brushed his pants, holding his hand out to her. "C'mon then, let's get rid of the monster of the house."

Karin cringed at the bloodthirsty look in his eyes. "He's so dead", she muttered making the man only smirk.

"You're right about that one."

"So in the end, I didn't get to spend a single night in this house with my boyfriend", Karin yawned sitting on the porch once again. It had been a real ordeal getting her now ex-boyfriend out of the house. When Ichigo had barreled into the guest room where he was sleeping, her brother had been furious when the man hadn't even woke up.

He had grabbed his collar and shaken the man till he cracked an eye open. After yelling from both parties, they had ended up in a fist fight, from which Ichigo emerged as the winner carrying a black eye.

The bleary brunette hadn't been as lucky. His nose had been bleeding, not to mention his eye was swollen aswell. He would be bruising all over tomorrow, a fact Karin wasn't in the least bit sorry for. Finally having given in, he had limped to the door, spitting threaths her way and throwing the key on the floor. Without a second glance he had left, leaving the two siblings and the spirit in the house. Karin had been stunned at his cold departure, wondering how much had the man cared about her in the first place. Trying in vain to swallow the lump in her throat yet again she had unearthed a bottle of bruise cream which she had handed over to her brother.

Now, three hours later, they were sitting at the back porch again, having ordered chinese take-away and were finishing up their meal. It was midday, and Karin figured they had two or three more hours before their expected visitors would show up. They had already cleared all of Kūgo's stuff to the hallway. It was actually very lucky he hadn't been there to unpack anything. It had been easy to just carry all the boxes that belonged solely to him downstairs.

It was mostly the kitchen ware that Karin would have to sort through, to pick out the items that didn't belong to her. That was a small task though, and she decided to be lazy and just hang out with her brother and their unseen company. That had her thinking aloud. "Say, Toshiro, why can't you make yourself visible?"

_'It'd be rather troublesome to do. You do know that what you see is actually light reflecting off of matter, right? I'd have to manipulate the light to show every detail in me if I wanted to be seen.'_

"Oh. I guess that does make sense. Sort of."

_'I've found that moving items is a lot easier. I need to create force, except I can only use my mind for that. It's telekinesis I suppose. As for talking... Actually, you look like your head is going to burst. I'll just leave it here.'_

Karin could have sworn his words were followed by a snicker, making her brow twitch. "Yeah, whatever, damn genius."

Ichigo made a face. "That's 'nuff, you two. Shut it. I'm bailing for now. Call me if anything comes up. And make sure to keep the doors locked even during the day. If Kūgo is completely out of it... I'd hate to think 'bout what could happen."

"Yeah, I'll make sure of that", Karin nodded and watched her brother disappear.

_'We should probably head inside. Just a precaution, but there's a limit to how much I can do as a spirit.'_

Raising an eyebrow at that, the woman questioned: "If I didn't know better, I'd think you're telling me that I'm useless if anything happened."

_'To be fair, I have known you for less than a day. I haven't got a clue how well you can handle yourself, but I was there to see him and your brother fight. He came out bad that time, but he was sleep deprived, probably on drugs or drunk if not both. He's huge, and no matter how good you are, sometimes brute strenght is too much to handle.'_

"Wow, that was the longest I've heard you speak." Heeding his advice though she went back indoors and locked the door after her. Turning to look around she wondered where to start while waiting for Kisuke to show up with Toshiro's aunt. She needed to do something to get her mind out of the gutter.

_'Shouldn't you start with your personal belongings? You'll probably need them first out of everything you've got packed here.'_

Considering the suggestion, Karin nodded and headed upstairs to _her _bedroom. She stopped by the doorway though, questioning herself for the first time. Why was she not reacting to anything that happened? Sure, there were some signs she had refused to acknowledge which might have readied her for this, but not feeling barely anything at all when the break up had finally happened was a bit unnerving.

"Toshiro... Is it normal for me not to react to all this?"

_'It's probably the shock. The smallest things will trigger the emotional breakdown in a matter of hours. No, I don't think it's abnormal at all.'_

Smiling at his answer, Karin finally stepped into the room and started unpacking her things. She started with her clothes, putting most of it in the drawers and the ones needing hanging to the wardrobe. That took barely half hour, and she moved on to her belongings. A few books - she wasn't an avid reader, and these were mostly what Yuzu liked and had wanted to share with her; her sport trophies including medals and a couple of soccer posters; several little trinkets she had collected along the years.

She got to the box of photos when there was a knock at the front door. Glancing up from the picture of her and Yuzu she looked at the time on her phone. It was only a little after one in the afternoon. Rangiku was definitely anxious for getting here so early. She shouldn't be so surprised though. As far as she knew, Toshiro was Rangiku's closest relative and like the son she had never had.

Karin stood up and pulled her hair up into a neat ponytail before getting the door. Creaking it open slightly she confirmed it was indeed Kisuke and a strawberry blonde, an extremely busty woman at that. Swallowing a little envious she opened the door properly and let her guests in.

"I take it you managed to sort out whatever the problem was you were having?" Kisuke asked looking at the boxes all around them.

Karin nodded and led the way to the kitchen, the only room not littered with cardboard boxes. She poured them both a glass of water, apologizing. "Sorry, I never drink tea so ain't got any to serve you guys."

Kisuke waved away her apology. "We've got more important matters to discuss. Karin, this is Rangiku Matsumoto, Toshiro's aunt. Rangiku, this is Karin Kurosaki, the newest resident of this house."

Rangiku wringed her hands nervously. "Is it really true that you've talked with Toshiro somehow?" Her voice was anxious and Karin felt sympathy for the distraught woman. She was about to speak when the man in question cut in.

_'She has, and you should be able to communicate with me aswell.'_

Rangiku gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. Even Kisuke seemed surprised. "Toshiro, where are you?!"

_'I'm in the room, don't worry about it. I'll just stay out of the way for now. Though I'd really prefer getting back to my body as soon as possible.'_

Rangiku burst into tears. "It's... definitely him, I'd recognize, hic... that bossy way of talking anywhere. Th-Thank you, Karin!" she sobbed, and Karin couldn't laugh at what she had said even though she had to agree with the bossy part. Keeping her expression neutral she just nodded and they let the woman calm down.

When Rangiku's sobs finally subsided, Kisuke took charge of the situation. "I talked with a friend of mine, Shunsui Kyouraku, who is... into this kind of stuff. He said he'd come over by the end of this week to talk with Toshiro. Apparently he needs the details from him to find out what exactly happened and how to reverse it - something we didn't have when we first called in help."

_'You're saying that I need to wait for another week before this can be sorted out?'_

Karin stiffled a snicker. "Never imagined you the impatient one, Toshiro."

_'You live for years without anyone to talk to, and then find out that everything can be reversed as soon as someone bothers to come over to fix this! I've got every right to be impatient!'_

Kisuke cleared his throat. "It's a shame that you need to wait, but he's coming over from America as soon as her wife has given birth, which should be within hours now, really."

_'... Sorry. And thanks.'_

"Don't thank me, thank him for taking the time to come help out an old friend." The man snapped his fan open to cool his face, though Karin was starting to suspect it was just for show.

Rangiku, who had gotten completely over her emotional moment, was grinning a wicked smile. "But Toshiro, you shouldn't be complaining in the first place! You get to live with a gorgeous young woman, just the two of you! Hell, you could even peep on her while she's taking a shower!"

Karin smirked at that and opened her mouth to speak.

_'Do. Not. Even. Think'_

Rolling her eyes the raven haired woman shut her mouth but did nothing about the smirk on her face. Rangiku took instant notice of it. "Oh, you naughty boy, Toshiro!"

_'I didn't look at her, goddammit!'_

"He totally did", Karin laughed out loud.

_'Did not! Don't give them false information!'_

"I'd never do such a thing", she gasped in mock admonishment.

_'Sure'_, grunted out the reply.

Rangiku giggled and wiggled her eyebrows. "Aww, to think that you're already living alone with a woman!"

_'Rangiku... I think you should stop right there, the topic is a bit of taboo right now'_, Toshiro said uncertainly.

Karin scoffed. "Don't worry about it. I kicked my boyfriend out this morning. That's all his stuff actually", she explained and indicated to the boxes littering the hallway.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Rangiku gasped, blushing, but the raven head just shrugged acting cool, telling her it was no big deal. She studied the younger woman for a moment before making a surprising suggestion. "Hey, Karin, do you want to go to the hospital to meet Toshiro for real? Right now I mean."

Karin's face lit up in excitement. "Really? That would be really cool! I mean, it wouldn't be much of a meeting considering he's nothing but a shell but it'd be nice to see just how short he is in reality!"

_'I guess I'll get no say in this?'_, the owner of the shell asked in exasperation.

"Nope!" the two women sang at the same time, grinning at each other.

_'God, the sooner this is over the better.'_

Karin just laughed at that and asked if they could wait a couple minutes when she got her things before disappearing upstairs to her room. Rangiku watched around the kitchen, a bit amused, having lost a lot of the worry she had shouldered for years now. "I'm glad to have been able to speak to you, Toshiro", she suddenly said with a smile.

_'Hn, likewise, Rangiku. It's good to see you after such a long time.'_ After a moment of silence he added: _'Try to keep an eye on Karin while out. We don't know if her ex is going to retaliate, plus I think Karin still hasn't really absorbed what happened. She's had no reaction yet.'_

Rangiku's eyebrow shot up at that. "Well, sure I guess. I didn't realise you two had become that close though?"

_'Huh. I guess I'm a bit worried about her because she's the first person I've talked to for years.'_

His aunt didn't really buy that, but let it slide for now. Intead she and Kisuke stood up when they heard the steps coming down the stairs, and soon Karin appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face and a backpack slinger over her shoulder. "Ready to depart!"

The drive to the hospital took over half hour. It still wasn't the rush hour but there were still quite a lot of people about. They had dropped Kisuke off at the shop and continued on to their destination. The sun had been mercilessly bearing on the town most of the day, and Karin felt pure relief pour over her when they entered the cool hospital.

"Thank god there's an air conditioner here. I don't think I could have taken the heat for much longer", she exclaimed to her companion.

Rangiku nodded groaning: "I need sake. Badly."

They passed the receptionist, Rangiku obviously familiar with the way to Toshiro's room. They took the elevator to the 10th floor and went to the room at the end of the long corridor. Curiously Karin peeked into the room before entering.

The first thing she noticed of the form lying on the bed was the mop of white hair against the light blue pillow. "He's got white hair? I thought he was a young guy!"

Rangiku snorted. "It runs in the family. His mother had a the same hair color."

"That's definitely odd", the younger woman murmured and studied the young man lying in the hospital bed. He had pale skin from having led indoors for years. His facial features were soft, bordering girlish. "Was he popular? He looks like a bishounen to me."

His aunt hummed, thinking. "Well, he could have been I guess. He's got a rather cold and aloof personality when it comes to strangers though, so it might have put his peers off a bit. He never talked about other people, but then again he's always been a bit too mature for his age. He is a genius you know?"

Karin nodded. "Kisuke told me. Entered Uni at sixteen and whatnot."

"He did, didn't he... I wonder if the same things had happened had he stayed in high school for longer. But then again, he really adored Momo. Probably the only one who could disturb his thoughts enough."

Kisuke had mentioned Toshiro's girlfriend only briefly, so she was curious to know more. "What kind of a person was she? And how is she doing now? I heard she got, um, pregnant."

Rangiku nodded, something flashing in her eyes. "She was a sweet kid. Well, still is I guess. Always ready to help others, got well along with people... Unfortunately she is, well, dumb. The wrong kind of people could easily swindle her, or use her for their own ends. I think that's what happened with Aizen aswell. He was the teacher most likely responsible for Toshiro's current condition, not that we could ever prove it.

"Momo met the man when she visited the Uni with Toshiro, I believe. I don't know how they kept in contact but she fell in love with him and dumped my lil' prodigy. Well, she got pregnant and Aizen left in a hurry. I get the occasional phone call from Momo, she kept the baby I hear, and is doing well. Apparently she got together with Aizen's assistant."

Karin thought about all the new information. She felt a bit sorry for Toshiro, after all they had similar experiences. She winced at the thought of Kūgo. To think he hadn't cared in the least that he was apparently getting dumped... Shaking those thoughts away she glanced at the woman next to her.

Rangiku was staring at her nephew with a sad look in her eyes, obviously lost in thought. Karin didn't want to rush her, so they sat there together in a comfortable silence. She committed Toshiro's face to her memory, wondering what his eyes would look like when he woke up.

"Actually, he is rather childish, isn't he?" she broke the silence all of a sudden, a small smirk appearing on her face. Rangiku looked at her curiously. "I mean, he actually spent seven freaking years driving couples apart! Doesn't that tell something of his mentality?"

This made the older woman giggle. "You're definitely right about that, Karin. You don't mind being called that, do you?" She got a shake of the head as an answer. "Well, I think it's about time we left. You fancy a cup of coffee?"

At the word coffee Karin's eyes lit up and she nodded fervently. "Oh, yes, I wanna!" she added for good measure making Rangiku giggle again before they left the room, both of them glancing at the sleeping figure behind them.

Rather than go to the car, they crossed the street to a small hole in the wall café. Karin ordered a coffee, while Rangiku wanted a cappuchino, demanding to pay for both of them as it was the least she could do for the young woman according to her. "If it's coffee, I'll let you buy me one every day", had been her answer.

"Noted", the strawberry blonde wiggled her eyebrows and laughing they sat down on a free table. "So, how did you like meeting the sleeping beauty?"

Karin hummed. "Well, I can only imagine what kind of a face he pulls when he's talking. I mean, just hearing his voice gives people the jitters, so the real thing is going to be priceless."

Sipping her drink Rangiku smiled. "Yeah, he really can be aloof sometimes. I just hope this Kyouraku fellow will be able to figure out what's wrong.

"Well, Kisuke seemed to think he was the right guy to call over", Karin pondered, stirring her coffee.

They sat there for a moment, before Karin noticed Rangiku squirming on her spot. "Wassup?"

Blushing, the woman stuttered. "Well, it's just... Would you mind if I asked what exactly happened with your, erm, ex?"

"Oh", Karin blinked, scratching her head. "Well, the thing is, a couple days back I caught him cheating on me with some other woman. He was completely drunk though, so I decided to let it slide although I did tell him he'd be sleeping in another room for a week. I guess he got pissed off by that and didn't even show up for the move. Well, you know how I met Toshiro, and he helped me figure out that he had actually been cheating on me for a while, and to top it off, he had started using drugs." Taking in a deep breath, she was a bit embarrassed for having blurted out all that.

"Wow, Toshiro actually helped someone?" Rangiku's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Well, I guess it was all the 'let's break 'em up' stuff." Karin shrugged uncertainly.

"But I'm sorry to hear about your ex, that's terrible thing to happen to you."

The sympathy evident in her eyes was the thing that finally got rid of the lid on Karin's emotions. The woman stared into her cup of coffee without actually seeing anything, partly due to the blurring in her eyes. "I was shocked, really. I mean, he had been getting agressive for the last year but I paid no mind to it as I knew he was having trouble at work and that. But when I saw him with that woman was just a blow to the gut, and when... I heard about how long this had been going on... I don't know what I could have done.

"The thing is, I really cared about him. He had his cons, but I always thought of him as a good guy, someone that I could respect and who in turn would respect me. Well, fat chance of that happening it seems", she scoffed suddenly angry. The familiar ache was back in her chest, and trying to quell the feelings she took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

Rangiku placed her hand on top of hers, squeezing softly. "I don't know if you want to hear this, but maybe it's better this way. It's definitely better that you found out now, rather than later when things would have been a lot more complicated."

"Yeah", Karin mumbled, but the choking feeling didn't go away. It wouldn't for a good while, both of them knew.

Rangiku promised to give her a ride back home, and hour later the car parked in front of her new house. "You an stay over if you want to talk with Toshiro for a bit longer", Karin offered, almost desperate for company. Rangiku seemed to sense this as she nodded giving her a smile. They clambered out and the blonde locked the car before they moved in.

"We're back, Toshiro", Karin yelled while locking the door behind her.

_'Welcome back you two. So, did I pass your standards?' _his voice drawled out, still seemingly annoyed.

Karin nodded. "Uhhuh, I think I know who my new best girl friend is going to be!"

_'Are you calling me a girl? Just wait till I get back to my body, I'll show you how exactly how girly I am!'_

"Ooh, did you just ask me on a date, or was that an invitation to have sex?" Karin cocked an eyebrow, and Rangiku burst out laughing.

_'WHAT?! I did not - oh, very funny. Sure then, it's a date when you seem to be desperate to go on one with me'_, he threw back.

"Glad to hear. Next week's Saturday, then?" her eyes glinted with pure amusement.

_'You're on. Don't forget about it, now.'_

"Well, if you two don't move fast", Rangiku mocked. "Known for only a day, and you're already dating."

Karin flinched a little at that, but hid it quickly with a smile. "Never been one to stay still, me."

They spent the rest of the evening unpacking. Rangiku insisted on helping the hostess, and soon the pile of boxes in the living room was half of what it had been when they started. They piled all the DVDs and games on the shelves surrounding her new wide screen tv while the odd items were placed in the cabinet. They re-arranged the sofas and the table in the middle which had been left in the room by the movers, and littered small items such as candle holders on the surfaces, giving the room a homey feeling.

When they finished with the room, the two women looked happy with their efforts. "Looks good, doesn't it", Rangiku noted and Karin nodded.

"Yeah, thanks for your help. C'mon, let's get a drink in the kitchen", she decided. They were just about to enter the kitchen when loud hitting on the front door made them jump.

"Karin, open up, c'mon!" It was Kūgo.

_'Karin, do _not _open the door', _came Toshiro's frantic comment, which Rangiku agreed with.

"Hey, I wasn't going to in the first place", the woman in question hissed and glanced at the door. "Go away! Or I'll make sure you're going to need a bodybag when you leave."

"Don't do this, Karin. You're being silly, just let me in now."

"You can come pick your things tomorrow", Karin was resolute. They flinched at the loud bang on the door.

"You fucking bitch! Open the door!"

"No! So just leave now because you can be damn sure I'll have Ichigo beat up your ass!" Karin was yelling, while anger, sadness and fear coiled inside her. Rangiku grabbed her hand, attempting to calm the woman down.

"If you do not leave now, we'll call the police", she stated to the door.

"Well fuck this! You freaking bitch", Kūgo spat once more before the doorway grew silent.

_'He left', _Toshiro confirmed. Rangiku ushered the shaken woman to the kitchen and drew the curtains to shield the windows.

"I'll stay the night with you, honey", she promised worriedly.

Karin laughed a little. "It's a bit funny, I'm having strangers in my house rather than my boyfriend. Well, ex now."

_'It's about time you had some intelligent company then'_, Toshiro voiced.

"Oi, surely you're not calling all my friends stupid?" Karin poked her tongue out for good measure.

_'Who keeps company with wolves, learns to howl.'_

"You didn't just call _me _stupid, did you?"

_'Would I do such a thing?'_ he mirrored her words earlier that day, making Karin scoff.

"Anyways, Rangiku, you don't need to stay. You've got work tomorrow, don't you? Besides, Toshiro is here so if something would happen tonight, he can alert me."

The blonde frowned, feeling uncertain. "I'd feel better if I was here though."

This stopped Karin and after a moment she relented. In a way, she felt relieved that she wouldn't have to stay alone tonight. She was still shaken about the whole ordeal and didn't want to think what her night would have been like. Giving the other woman a grin she told her: "Well, I guess we can even share a bed then! The bed sheets are still in the boxes, and I doubt you'd want to sleep in Kūgo's bed, would ya?"

Rangiku winked. "I'd be honored to sleep with you. Besides, I can keep an eye on my nephew that way. Never know what he might pull on you."

_'Oi, why do you two keep talking of me like I wasn't here? More so, as if I was some kind of a pervert?'_

"Oh, it's just a precaution, Toshiro. Unless you demand for Karin to keep the bed free for you?" Rangiku really was a devil of a woman, Karin thought laughing at Toshiro's flustered attempts to deny the accusations.

That night Karin lay awoke in her bed, listening to her friend's even breathing. Turning her back to face the woman she whispered: "Toshiro, are you there?"

_'Yes, I'm here', _came his faint reply.

Karin was quiet for a few seconds. "Do you think he'll come back again?" she finally asked, hoping for the voice to soothe her fears. No such thing though.

_'He probably will. Not tonight though'_, he added as an afterthought when Karin frowned.

"You sound sure about that?"

_'I doubt he'd try to make another attempt so soon that his pride has been crushed twice. And I very much believe that if he's anything, then it's prideful.'_

A faint smile grazed Karin's lips. "Yeah, he is that." She felt hot tears brimming in her eyes and flinched when there was a sudden brush of cold air on her face. "Toshiro?" she whispered a little embarrassed.

_'It's alright to cry, Karin. It helps, even though it hurts aswell. I should know.'_

Karin held back the sudden onslaught of sobs, trying not to wake Rangiku. All the while the cold air brushed her hair, comforting her. She didn't notice it when she finally fell asleep, lulled by the gentle presence petting her.

In the hospital, a nurse checking in on the coma patient was surprised when droplets of liquid started to drip down from the closed eyes.

The next few days were filled with anxious waiting on everyone's end. Toshiro was obviously impatient to get back to his body. Karin wished to see both of her new friends happy, and she really wished to meet Toshiro in person. Rangiku took on the habit of spending the nights over at Karin's house, wishing to both spend time with her long lost nephew and keep an eye on Karin.

Kūgo had attempted to get into the house three more times in those days. Two days after he had left, he came back to the door begging and demanding to be let in. The night after he tried to force his way in, but Toshiro managed to hold him back while Rangiku called in the police. The third time he actually broke a window and was indoors trying to get into the master bedroom where Karin and Rangiku were hiding, when the police crashed in and arrested him. They had been keeping an eye on the house, partly due to Rangiku's demands but mostly becase of the fact that he was indeed part of drug dealing.

The police had taken him away and for the first time in a few days Karin was able to relax. They'd been sitting in the living room once the officers left, drinking freshly brewed coffee as 'they had earned it' like Karin had announced.

"At least that ordeal is now over", Matsumoto cheered. Karin wholeheartedly agreed with her, blowing on the hot beverage.

"I think we'll be even soon, Toshiro", she spoke out.

_'What do you mean?'_ He was confused as to what she could have been referring to.

"You said you wanted something in return for helping me out. Well, I'd imagine getting you back to your body would make us even, no?"

_'I guess you're right about that. Pity, I bet I could have used a favor at some point.'_

Rangiku listened to the exchange confused. "What are you guys on about?" Karin laughed explaining their first proper discussion. Nodding, now remembering Karin having mentioned it when they had been sitting in the cafe she huffed. "I didn't raise you to act like a spoilt brat, Toshiro! How could you have been doing something like making people break up!"

_'In all honesty, all I did was give them a push, didn't I? I never made their decisions_!' he protested.

"That's unacceptable! Not knowing what was going on, they were basically brainwashed!" Rangiku looked very disappointed, crossing her arms over her chest.

_'I, uh... You're right'_, he finally sighed. Karin got the image of a fiddling child, having been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. The thought made her snicker.

"So Kisuke told you that Kyouraku would be in Karakura tomorrow then?" Karin asked after they had calmed down, recalling the phone call the woman had had earlier.

Rangiku nodded, bringing a finger to her chin in a thinking pose. "Yeah, I believe he said he'd meet us at noon." She checked the time. "Speaking of that, I think we should finally try to get some sleep. It's actually half past three in the morning!" She ushered them up to the bedroom and they crawled under the blankets, wishing each other good night.

"You might be back to your body tomorrow", Karin whispered to the air.

_'Indeed. Definitely something to look forward to. Let's just hope this friend of Urahara's will know what to do. Now get some sleep, Karin.'_

The woman giggled quietly, giving a 'yeah, whatever' as an answer and closed her eyes.

When Shunsui Kyouraku finally arrived, the two women were waiting by the gate. When he stepped out out the car, their thoughts were exactly the same.

"It was a good try, Toshiro", they sighed in unison and stared at the bearded man walking towards them, a pink cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Hello there, darlings!" he greeted in a cheery manner and gave Rangiku's cleavage an extra long look.

"Just what do you think you're looking at", Karin scowled ferociously.

The man turned to regard her. "But, yours aren't showing properly! I would give them the same attention if they were, I swear!"

"I did not want to hear that", she growled and turned away.

Rangiku acted a bit more civil, shaking hands with the man and slapped his other hand away where it was getting dangerously close to her backside. "Kyouraku, right? Thank you for going through the trouble of coming all this way from America", she said politely.

Kyouraku waved the thanks away. "It's no problem. Kisuke is one of my oldest friends, so doing him a favor every now and then is alright. Besides, I heard the caster of this curse is an old acquaintance of mine, so I feel like I need to do take a look at this anyway. And", he gave a toothy smile, "I'm always up for a pretty woman's company!"

Karin rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Yeah, whatever, you lecherous old man! Let's go inside and see if you can cure Toshiro."

Kyouraku nodded, looking at the younger woman again. "I take it you're his girlfriend then, since you're in such a rush? Have to say, if it really has been such a long time that he's touched you- OW!" He massaged the back of his head, throwing a pouty look at Kisuke.

"I was given full permission to keep an eye on you, from your wife too!" he supplied with a cheeky grin, waving his fan in his hand.

"Oh, my darling Nanao is such a worrywart sometimes. As if I would ever even glance at another woman!"

"Yeah, you've proven that much already", Karin muttered and opened the front door.

_'Is that him? Seriously?'_ Doubt latched into his voice, and Karin sighed before nodding.

"I think you're out of luck, Toshiro."

_'You don't say.'_

Soon the whole party was once again in the living room and Kyouraku was pressing them with questions, his attitude completely different all of a sudden. "So Aizen actually took his childhood friend and current girlfriend? And she got pregnant? How did the pregnancy time with Toshiro's coma? And did you say you fell into the coma in the matter of seven days? And now you're bound to this house, where it happened?"

Karin, not really familiar with the past, sat there silently wondering where exactly was Kyouraku heading with his questions. It started to sound rather bad, she realized, and hoped that the curse had nothing to do with Momo's child. Apparently the worry was unnecessary as the timing was off.

Toshiro had heard for the first time that her childhood friend had gotten pregnant and that Aizen had bailed out by then. His reaction had been violent, Karin had felt like watching a poltergeist run rampart in the apartment. After her favorite candle holder had flown through the air and she had only barely managed to catch it, she'd screamed at the top of her lungs, effectively stopping the berserking spirit. While the air in the room was noticeably colder than it should be in a summer afternoon, Karin was simply glad nothing was broken.

"Hmm, this is odd", Kyoraku muttered. At their looks he implored: "Well, by the sounds of things something went wrong, because Toshiro's spirit isn't even supposed to be here. Somehow you were able to resist the curse, although only partly, hence your spirit got stuck in here. It's actually better this way, because we can communicate with you now."

The group 'ooh'ed and waited for him to conclude the problem. Kyouraku understood the look and crossed his arms. "Hey, it's not over yet. Still in the middle of figuring out how the curse was cast. Toshiro, what do you remember from your meeting?"

_'Let me think, it happened years ago and my memories of those days are hazy as it is...' _After a moment of silence his voice appeared again, hesitating. _'I went to see Aizen in the Uni, I think I went to his office... Yes, it was the office, and Aizen was working on some project of his. Had been for a couple of days, actually. The office was littered with scrolls, parchments, books, you name it. I think I disrupted him in the middle of chanting something. Now that I think about it, that was probably the curse being cast, although I don't think he had intended on using it on me, if anyone._

_'He stopped whatever it was he was doing when I demanded him to talk with me about Momo. Such an infuriating bastard, he actually said that he liked her _well enough _to go out with her! I think at that point I lost it, trying to punch him.'_

Karin cocked an eyebrow. She had never imagined him very aggressive, and Rangiku seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

_'It wasn't a problem for him to stop me - in the end I was really short then. He simply held me back with a hand gripping my shoulder - ah, that's it! He finished the spell he had been casting and placed his free hand on my eyes so that I couldn't see anything. That left me with an awful, nauseating feeling if I remember right.'_

Kyouraku hummed. "A curse cast through eyes, is it? That is probably the link between your body and spirit aswell. Have you got any reports of him crying or the sort?' he asked Rangiku, who nodded. "Alright, this should be relatively simple. All we need to do is have the eyes of the spirit and the body to connect while I cast the counter spell."

Silence fell on the room before Karin scoffed. "How is that simple? His body is bound to the machines keeping him alive, and the spirit is bound to his house!"

Kyouraku shrugged. "Just take the house with you, isn't it?"

And that's what they did. Partially. They had wrenched out a short board from the porch at the back of the house, which Kyouraku had the honor to carry, complaining all the way. "By the time we get there, I'm too exhausted carrying this I won't be able to speak!" Toshiro seemed to be enjoying the outing, after all he hadn't left the house for years.

Kyouraku and Kisuke took the latter's car to the hospital, while Rangiku and Karin followed them in the blonde's. "I can't believe this to be so simple a he makes it to be", she muttered to Karin. "This means we could have wasted years trying to get him back!"

Karin nodded, not saying anything to that. She had conflicted feelings about the whole thing. Had it not happened, she wouldn't have bought the house, found out about his ex, nor would she have two great friends in Toshiro and Rangiku. But this curse had made those very two friends miserable and taken years from their lives. She was a selfish person, she concluded.

When they had stepped into the hospital and made their way towards Toshiro's room, the man covered with a pink cloak carrying a wooden board attracted a lot of gazes, and Karin was a bit surprised the nurses hadn't attemted to stop them when the entered the room Toshiro's body resided in.

Closing the door behind them, Kyouraku placed the board on the bed to allow Toshiro's spirit to make direct eye contact with his body. "Girls, you need to force his eyes open", he told the two and they moved to the sides of the bed, gently pulling the eyes open. It was the first time Karin had seen his eyes, and she was instantly mesmerizes with the teal orbs staring into nothing. Kisuke moved so that he was standing in front of the door so as no one could see what was happening inside.

Kyouraku placed his hands on the body's temples, chanting with a low murmur, finally finishing with a word that almost spit out of his mouth.

Nothing happened. Toshiro led there still staring into space, and the women shared an uncertain look. "What's wrong?" Rangiku asked Kyouraku, who scratched his chin, opening his mouth to talk when Toshiro beat him to it.

_'The body isn't making eye contact with me. It cannot see spirit particles. I'll have to make myself visible.' _Kyouraku nodded sharing his thoughts, sighing loudly.

"I should have figured it before we even started. Let his eyes close, or they'll dry." The women let go and the teal orbs were once again hidden.

"Toshiro, you said you can do it, right?" Karin asked the air.

_'Yeah, I can but you'll need to give me a moment_.' After a minute's waiting, Toshiro's form started to flicker in the air above the body. Or more accurately his head. _'There' no need to make the rest of my body visible, but it would look rather creepy to have two eyes floating in the air', _he explained shortly, his form flickering out of sight when he spoke.

It took close to ten minutes before Kyouraku was satisfied with the appearance. Telling the women to open the eyes again he repeated the mantra from earlier, and at the final word Toshiro suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Toshiro?" Rangiku and Karin cried in unison, letting go of him and his eyes fluttered shut. A sharp intake of breath was all they got as a sign that the spirit had probably entered the body, because he didn't wake up miraculously, or open his eyes to look at them. The women were frantic, demanding answers from Kyouraku.

"I can only imagine how exhausting it was to make himself visible. Give him time to rest, he's most likely sleeping." Confirming this, the machines seemed to turn alive next to them, albeit slowly. This seemed to alert the staff, as within a minute a nurse emerged from the door, and Karin quickly snatched the board from the bed to avoid any suspicion.

The nurse started checking on the patient, murmuring calming words to Rangiku, until a doctor appeared to take over. Reading the machines he checked the man's pulse, and flashed a light to both of his eyes. Finally after a complete check up, the doctor turned to Rangiku with a smile. "He's sleeping, but no longer in coma."

Rangiku broke down completely, starting to sob, holding on to Toshiro's hand for dear life. Karin placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling a bit dazed. "When can we expect him to wake up?" she asked the doctor, rubbing Rangiku's shoulders.

"I'd imagine in a few hours, although he won't stay awake for more than mere minutes. Now, you'll have to understand that he'll be confused and might lack any ability to respond to you. He's been in coma for almost six years. With any luck, within weeks he'll be able to act almost normally. In the worst case, he won't progress past any basic responses."

Karin nodded, guessing Rangiku was well aware of the risks in Toshiro's condition. Then again, she thought, this wasn't a normal coma. She hoped that having his spirit alive and active would work in his favor now.

Kisuke came over to them, and patting Rangiku's head lightly he nodded to Karin to follow them out. Kyouraku was already waiting by the door, and left the room when he saw they were coming.

"I need a coffee", Karin muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. The men agreed to go to the café across the street, and soon the three of them had their respective drinks in front of them, the men catching up on their lives. Karin half zoned out on them, only picking up snippets of their conversation. She thought about her own circumstances, and of how much they had changed in the last couple of days. It was like a 180 degree turn around. She was now living by herself, quite far from the rest of her family, and she had yet to get a job to pay for her living expenses.

She wanted to study to be a doctor, and while her father would pay for most of the study expenses, some of it she'd vowed to take care of herself. It was all she had managed to convince her father to agree on - the stubborn goat-chin had wanted to pay for it all but Karin's pride had been an obstacle he couldn't cross all the way. She scoffed. Instead she now had a house of her own, which was a lot more than her cut of the expenses. In the end, she figured, her father had passed his doctor degree for a reason. Even when she seriously doubted it most of the time.

Finally zoning back in on the conversation, Karin realised they were talking about Aizen.

"... can't believe he's still up to no good. So Toshiro was only one of the first ones?" Kisuke muttered, a frown marring his face.

Kyouraku nodded. "Jyuushiro has been tracking at least a dozen cases, and I can only guess how many victims there are in total. Everyone seems to be a different case, curse and symptoms. The worst part is that we have no way to connect him to the cases, so he's free to go like no one's business. General public would jut laugh at our faces with what we got."

It was then that Karin decided to butt in. "If supernatural things actually occur, isn't there some kind of organization keeping an eye on things?"

Kyouraku lifted an eyebrow at that. "Trust Toshiro's girlfriend to point that one out. Yes, there is. I'm actually part of it", he grinned, ignoring Karin's protests at the girlfriend comment.

His anwer made the woman frown. "Why are you guys having such a hard time acting on this then?"

The man was obviously contemplating on what to share with her. "We have only a handful of witnesses, and none of seem to have intact, clear memories of it", he finally told her, glancing at the hospital.

Karin picked it up and came to a quick realization. "You're hoping that Toshiro could help you lot." A wry smile on Kyouraku's face was all the answer she needed. "But there might be permanent damage to his brain", she noted, recalling the doctor's words.

Kisuke sighed, crossing his arms. "We know, and there's nothing we can do about it. I'm hoping Toshiro'll be able to pull through this though, his mind is... extraordinary."

"And his coma wasn't exactly the normal kind", Karin added saying aloud her earlier thoughts.

A quiet beeping of her phone drew her attention. Grasping it she opened the text message to read Rangiku's hasty news: _'He's awake.'_ Karin was out of the door and crossing the street in seconds, her half full coffee mug all forgotten.

She raced through the hallways of the hospital, only slowing down when the nurses stopped her to admonish her for the behavior. Continuing on walking now, she made her way to the prodigy's room and knocked lightly before entering.

Rangiku was standing on the other side of the bed so that she was facing the door. Karin made a bee line to the bed, stopping half a meter away. The mesmerizing teal orbs met her gaze, confusion and a flicker of recognition passing through them, although it was gone so soon Karin wasn't sure if she had only imagined it.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty", she quipped in a quiet voice, offering a grin to the man.

Rangiku, who was grasping his hand with one of her own, told her: "He can't speak right now. He can probably hear us fine, but he's pretty confused. I'm not sure if he understands what's going on."

"Oh", Karin uttered, still gazing to his eyes. With a mischievious look, she told Rangiku: "He sure does have pretty eyes, doesn't he?"

Rangiku giggled, squeezing his hand. "He does, indeed. I missed seeing them", she confessed, a tender look on her face.

Karin grabbed a chair from near the door and sat down next to the bed. Toshiro was moving his head around, taking in his surroundings. A small moan escaped his lips, ending in a light cough.

"Whoa, I can only imagine how dry a throat he must have", Karin muttered, following Toshiro's movements. He seemed to be done with his scouting of the room, and was now slowly flicking his fingers and toes, almost like testing them out. It wasn't long till he fell asleep again though.

"Hey, Rangiku", Karin started, stopping for a moment to pick her words, "I know that you probably want to spend your next few days here with him, so don't worry about visiting me for now. I'll be fine. Besides", she nodded towards the sleeping man, "I'll come see you and the Sleeping Beauty every day."

Rangiku seemed like she was about to protest but thought twice about it, before a small quirk of her lips told the raven haired woman she agreed. "Just make sure to call me if something happens!" she demanded before suddenly sprinting to her side and grabbing her in a suffocating hug. "Thank you, Karin, for everything. Without you he wouldn't be _sleeping _right now."

Karin hugged her back just as tightly. "Thank _you two _for being there for me when I needed you."

They separated and looked each other in the eye for a second before a wide grin spread on both of their faces. "You make sure to defy the thorns of the princess' castle tomorrow, you hear me?"

"Hear, hear", Karin nodded rolling her eyes. Giving one last glance at the dubbed princess she left the room to find Kisuke and Kyouraku sitting outside the room. The green hatted man lifted his head upon the door opening and grinned.

"So he's awake now, is he?" Karin nodded while the door closed with a faint click. "Well, would the Prince Charming want a lift home? No white steed, only a pink lapdog, but it beats walking I bet." Cheering with a 'hell yeah!' she skipped down the hallway, waiting by the corner as the two men followed her.

The month Karin spent her time between job hunting and visiting the hospital. Rangiku had apparently asked for payless leave from her work and spent most of her time next to her newphew, rarely leaving his side. Toshiro was able to keep awake for a couple hours after the first five days, and slowly his slurring speech had become more coherent and he was able to sit up in his bed and slowly work out his legs. He was soon working on rehabilitation with the staff, with the goal of walking in the next few weeks.

After having spent years on coma, the muscles in his body had pretty much withered. During his long absence from the world the body had only been turned from side to side to rest on his back every three hours, but that was it.

His mind was also being worked on, as well as his speaking. He was engaged with several simple problems every day, both to determine how badly his brain had been affected, as well as giving it stimulating exercise.

To everyone's surprise and delight, his memory was practically intact. He could solve all the problems he was presented, even when it went to the level of his University studies. He remembered his life, and to Kyouraku's joy, his confrontation with Aizen. Most importantly to Karin, he remembered his time as a spirit and having met her, although the staff shared worried looks when he slipped it out in one of the talks with the doctors. All in all, the doctors agreed, his case was an anomaly, although not completely unheard of.

Four weeks from the day he first woke up, Karin crashed into the room with an enthusiastic air about her. "I landed a job", she hollered making Rangiku cheer and hug her, while Toshiro lifted an eyebrow, and with an almost non-visible quirk of the corner of his mouth he said: "About time, slowpoke. I guess even then congratulations are in order."

Poking out her tongue at the man, Karin gave Rangiku one last squeeze before letting go of her. "They definitely are! Not everyone is a lazy ass genius who gets to lie on their bed all day", she scoffed, playfully flicking her hair making Toshiro just roll his eyes.

"So what kind of a job is it then?" Rangiku inquired, sitting back on the chair next to Toshiro's bed. Karin, plopped down on the end of the bed, fanning herself with a stack of papers she had with her.

"A prostitute", Karin answered grinning, making Rangiku gasp in terror and Toshiro to chortle before attempting to hide it as a cough. It took a moment for Rangiku to realize she was only joking, and gave the younger woman a mock glare. "Okay, okay", she surrendered lifting her hands in front of her, "I got a job as a pharmay technician."

"That's great!" Rangiku exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Even Toshiro seemed impressed with her, smiling lightly. "Congratulations, Karin. Hopefully it'll aide you with your future plans", he said thoughtfully. He remembered her having told about her dream job during their short life under the same room. "Which store is it you'll work at?"

Karin frowned her lips in thought, having forgotten the street where the pharmacy resided. "It's half hour's walk from my home", she finally explained, making the two facepalm.

"Why am I not surprised that you don't even know where you'll be working?" Toshiro asked exasperated, before giving the raiven haired woman an amused look.

"I do know _where _I'm going, I'm just not sure how to get there!" Karin shot back, crossing her arms over her chest unable to fend off the smirk escaping on her face.

"You better hope your work comes to you, because otherwise you'll get fired for being absent on your first day. Although I have to wonder if it would be such a big loss for them."

Karin shrugged. "Then they better figure out fast that I'm worth it for them to come pick me up."

"Yes, because all the shops want an employee who mouths off at customers with no regard of the consecuences. That would make the sales just skyrocket", Toshiro supplied with sarcasm dripping off his voice.

"At least the customers would get personal and original service! Ditto." For some reason Karin looked overly smug with herself, making Toshiro give her a wondering look.

"Make sure to tell me which pharmacy it is, and I'll make sure to never, ever visit it", he muttered. Karin just poked her tongue at him again.

"I'll jut leave you two lovebirds to it -"

"We're not lovebirds!"

"Do not call us that!"

"- and go make a phone call. Do not do anything I wouldn't do while I'm gone", Rangiku patted both of them on the head before literally skipping out of the door, a trail of giggles following her.

The young pair looked after her both blushing, before turning to regard each other again.

"How you feeling? Getting back to your normal life?" Karin asked softly, looking at his eyes searching for anything off.

Toshiro shrugged, smiling a little. "All good. I can't exactly run a marathon yet but I can walk alright now. The doctor said they'd discharge me within the next month."

The woman grinned grasping his hand, making Toshiro glance at the now intertwined fingers. "That's great news! Oh", her face grew solemn, "are you returning to your University life after this?"

"I'm not sure yet. I think returning to my studies right away would be a bad idea right now. I thought I would just get some job here for a while, get some money and put my life back on tracks", he said squeezing Karin's hand while staring into her eyes, a light smile still playing on his lips.

For some reason this made Karin blush slightly, making her avert her gaze for a couple seconds before looking back. She really loved his eyes, Karin realized before smiling herself. They sat there in silence, comfortable in each other presence, before Toshiro suddenly blinked.

"Ah, regarding getting a job. You'll never guess what Kyouraku has offered me." The woman quirked a questioning eyebrow at that. "I heard he told you what his line of work is, correct? Well, he asked me if I was interested in joining them. Apparently I have the right kind of talent for it or something. And it helps that I have an almost finished degree in psychology plus have taken courses in parapsychology", he said, smirking a little. "Not to mention the personal experience."

That had Karin's jaw hang open. "What, you would join some Ghost Busters squad?"

The thought made Toshiro crack a wide grin. "I guess you could call it that. I haven't decided yet though", he seemed contemplative, squeezing her hand again while looking out of the window. "I guess it depends on where I'd end up. Right now, I don't plan on leaving this town for a while. At least not until you've raised the money you need for your studies. You were planning on studying medicine here in Karakura, weren't you?" Karin nodded at that, wondering where he was going with this. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't fancy studying in America, would you? After all, the country has some high class medical opportunities for studying."

By then he had turned to look at his companion, whose mouth was still open with the shock with what he was implying. Gently he stretched his free hand and ghosted his fingers on the woman's cheek. "Karin?"

Closing her mouth and swallowing before licking her lips - a move Toshiro caught, she noticed - Karin cleared her throat. "Um, I don't... Oh shit, to be honest, that came out of the blue, okay? Let me try to clear my thoughts a moment", she muttered, closing her eyes and inhaling slowly.

Toshiro followed all this with a tender look. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, so you'll have plenty of time to consider everything. There's no reason for you to feel pressured and attempt an answer right away." His voice was soft and promised Karin he really didn't mind.

Slowly Karin's posture relaxed and she sighed before laughing quietly. "Sorry, Toshiro, I'll take my time to think this through. It just came out of nowhere, sort of, so I lost myself there for a moment. You know", she shrugged a bit sheepisly.

Toshiro shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I told you not to worry about it. I just wanted you to know, even if it was sudden."

"Well, you got the last part right", Karin drawled, withdrawing her hand and poking the man in the chest. "I mean, it was only a month ago that I first saw you", she joked.

"Oh, so it must have been fate for us to meet, since I was obviously dreaming about you before I even met you", Toshiro followed, keeping his face serious although his eyes failed to hide the humor in them.

"What a dirty dream it was, too, dreaming of me taking a shower", Karin gasped bringing her hand to her chest.

That made the man groan, covering his face with his hand. "You're not going to let me live past that, are you?"

"No chance in hell", Karin heralded her nose in the air.

She didn't have the time to react as Toshiro suddenly leaned forward and snaked an arm over her waist, while the other went to gently grasp her head and turn it towards him. Growling, he stared into her eyes. "I guess I'll just have to make you forget about it then", he said with a glint in his eyes, making Karin's cheeks grow scarlet. "Not to mention you owe me a date, even though I guess it was me who was unable to make it there."

"Oh, Toshiro, you naughty boy!" Rangiku's voice rang from the doorway and as suddenly as he had trapped her, the man let her go and plopped back against the bed, groaning and covering his face again.

"Talk about bad timing", he muttered so that only Karin was able to hear him.

Noticing the look on the strawberry blonde's face, the Kurosaki woman decided it was time to flee, and quickly at that. Bouncing off the bed she avoided Rangiku's attempt to grasp her hand and instead rushed past her. "I'll catch ya laters!" they heard her shout while speed walking down the hall.

Slowly Rangiku turned to regard her protégé, who stubbornly refused to meet her gaze.

He and Karin had the exact same thought cross their mind. _'You're in some deep shit right now!'_

* * *

**Read and review, please! :)**


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